IS IT YOPPUL? THE FATE OF ISLAND SPEECH

IS IT YOPPUL? THE FATE OF ISLAND SPEECH, 2017

Is it Yoppul? The Fate of Island Speech is a deeply personal exploration into the disappearance of an Islands unique dialect.

I was born on the Isle of Wight. My accent, once full of Island words, could now be described as ordinarily Southern. Greater mobility, better education and improved access to information - whilst worthy of celebration - have tended to make places more uniform and erode cultural differences (1). Dialect words are handed down through the generations, but over time, younger generations - like myself - are using standard English words in their place.

A sound recording captures the dialect in action across four generations of my Island family. Accompanying photographs depict scenes of Island words in action.

Featured WordsAnywhen – anytime or place, a recent variation of somewhenAsprawl – sprawlingButt – a small enclosure of land generally near the houseCham – to chewChimbley – chimneyDaffydowndillies – daffodilsDrillen – dripping with sweatFirk – a continual state of fuss or fidget; also to scratchGallybagger – scarecrowHarpen – to talk continually on one subjectJipper – juice or syrup of anything, pudding, meat or pieKurn – to turn from flower to fruitLewth – a sheltered spot from the windMallishag – a large caterpillar, generally found in cabbageNammet – refreshment traditionally taken during the harvestat four in the afternoon, consisting of bread or cheese and apint of strong beerOverner – a non-native Island visitorPincherwig – earwigPrenly – presentlyQueal – to coil or curl up, to queal in, to go to bedRoke – steam from boiling waterSomewhen – some time or placeShute – a narrow roadUp tip – to oversetVarm – to clean, varm out, to clean outYoppul – useless talkZammer – to loiter, lazy